Rhode Island pilot recycled 80 short tons of fibreglass boats using a $105,000 NOAA grant

A Rhode Island pilot is demonstrating how fibreglass boat recycling could provide an alternative to sending old and derelict vessels to landfill. The programme shredded fibreglass hulls and sent the material to a cement manufacturer for use in cement production. According to a Rhode Island Marine Trade Association Foundation report, the pilot recycled 80 short tons of fibreglass from derelict and abandoned boats. NOAA later reported that RIMTA recycled nearly 20 metric tonnes of fibreglass in New England during the project period. Backed by a $105,000 NOAA grant, the initiative explored how the model could expand beyond Rhode Island as about 200,000 recreational boats reach the end of their usable life in the US each year.How RIMTA tested a new way to reuse old boat hullsThe Rhode Island initiative, led by RIMTA executive director Brian Dursi as a “proof of concept” programme. The programme recycled 80 short tons of fibreglass material from derelict or abandoned boats and incorporated it into cement. That is about 72.6 metric tonnes, although the original report gives the figure in short tons.According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the project was part of ...